Savathûn, the Witch Queen: Difference between revisions

==Biography==

===Origins===

{{quote|I am Sathona, middle daughter of the dead king. I will take back my home and eat the mother jelly. I will raise my spawn on the corpse of the [[Helium King]]. On my right eye I promise this.|Sathona}}

===From the Shadows===

{{Quote|I'm looking at a hell of a summoning ritual. Biggest Shrieker I've seen in all my lives. Mark my words, something real mean and real old is gonna use that thing to lay eyes on this planet.|Taeko-3 watching the Hive summon Savathûn's Song}}

Two years after the apparent death of Oryx in the [[Taken War]], a previously unknown [[Savathûn's Hive|Hive brood]] infested the abandoned [[Golden Age]] [[New Pacific Arcology|arcologies]] on the moon of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], led by powerful Hive such as [[Naktal, Fury of Savathûn]], [[Kudazad, Binder of Savathûn]], and [[Vanbaluk, Trusted of Savathûn]]. [[Ghost]] scans of various Hive artifacts further linked the new brood to Savathûn. Most disturbing of all, a fireteam of Guardians was lost during an incursion into the New Pacific Arcology, Operation Caliban, and were discovered to have been converted by the Hive into crystals containing [[Void]] [[Light]]. These crystals were intended to feed a summoning ritual for her, the centerpiece of which was a massive [[Shrieker]] titled "[[Savathûn's Song]]". With the aid of the [[Praxic Warlocks|Praxic]] [[Warlock]] [[Taeko-3]], the Guardian fought through the depths of the Arcology and destroyed the crystals and the Song, disrupting the summoning ritual.

===Forsaken===

{{Quote|I did not notice her. That means [the light] did not notice her. She knows that though I am [Taken], I am beholden to no one. So I ask her if she wishes to take up those strings. She does. And I take a new shape. My cage loses its purpose. I can tell this is not a part of her grand design. This is an introduction. She is at play. Through our new bond, I glimpse her intention. And I hope she remains at play.|Riven}}

As Savathûn neared gaining complete control over the Taken, within the [[Reef]], the Witch-Queen gained a new and powerful ally in the form of [[Riven]],  the last known [[Ahamkara]] in the Solar System; Taken by Oryx during the onset of the Taken War and the first invasion of the [[Dreaming City]]. However, unlike most Taken, Riven retained her sense of self and free will. With Oryx's passing and the Taken leaderless, Savathûn made contact with the Taken within the City and Riven, giving the Ahamkara a new purpose to serve the Witch-Queen. Through Riven, the Taken were prepared to corrupt the whole of the Awoken and launch an invasion of the Reef, using proxies like [[Uldren Sov]] and his [[Fallen]] [[Scorn]]. Though Riven succeeded in opening the gateway to the City, it left her vulnerable to the [[Guardian]]s sent to kill her. The Guardians, aided by their Awoken allies and the formerly Taken [[Techeuns]], managed to kill Riven and cleanse her Taken essence. Nonetheless, her death served a purpose as the Ahamkara transcended death and granted one last wish: cursing the Dreaming City with Taken energies and altering its rules of ascendancy.

===The Witch's Trap===

{{Quote|Gahlran is a quick learner. His [deceptions] serve him well. He serves [me] in return.|The Witch, Insidious}}

Savathûn would later face a contender in her attempts to undermine the [[Guardian]]s: the former [[Cabal]] [[Emperor]] [[Calus]]. During one of the Shadows' conquests of the Hive's war moons, Savathun laid a trap out for them to find the [[Crown of Sorrow]], an ancient [[Ascendant Hive]] relic believed to imitate Oryx's power to compel wills. In reality, it was a surveillance device meant for the Witch-Queen to spy on Calus from the Ascendant Realm, in the hopes of putting him under her control when worn.  

===Extending her Reach===

{{Quote|Don't bother guessing the Taken's intentions. Ask instead what is sought by the hand that directs them. Savathûn extends her reach at last.|Eris Morn}}

Following her rivalry with Calus and the conflict on [[Luna]], Savathûn enacted a new scheme to further her plans. The Witch-Queen soon found an opportunity in a massive [[Vex]] computational array found on [[Io]] - as Savathûn sought knowledge to inform her plans and pawns to carry them out, the array would be able to fulfill both. She sent a large Taken Blight into the array to corrupt and bring it under her control, to which the Vex responded with violence. The [[Vanguard]] detected a massive surge of power beneath the [[Pyramidion]] where the array was located and sent a [[The Festering Core|Guardian strike team]] to investigate. They soon found the Vex and Taken, commanded by [[Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn]], battling each other for control of the array; the Guardians recognized the Taken Blight to be similar to those found in the Dreaming City, causing them to suspect Savathûn as the one behind this Taken offensive. [[Eris Morn]] warned [[Zavala]] the Witch Queen was not as foolhardy as her brother as she would not risk a direct confrontation, and the City must be prepared and wise enough to know when Savathûn would play her hand.

===The Arrival===

{{Quote|The Queen is clever. You did not share my father's single-minded ambition, nor my brother's taste for glory."<br/>"You wish to serve me?"<br/>"My life is spent: servitude to those who cast me away. Our blood is all that remains of the old pact."<br/>"Then let us make use of each other.|Nokris bargains with Savathûn}}

Shortly prior to the Pyramids' arrival, [[Nokris]] attempted to enter the Ascendant Realm by way of trickery, instead of the Sword-Logic. This attracted the attention of his aunt. Savathûn drew her nephew into a [[Court of Savathûn (Io)|simulated]] version of her [[Court of Savathûn|throne world]] and struck a bargain: in her plans to defy the Pyramids, she had taken notice of his necromantic power. Knowing that the Pyramids would soon converge on Sol, she instructed Nokris to interfere in any of their attempts to communicate with the Guardian.

===The Endless Night===

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A day after the closing ceremony of the second [[Guardian Games]], Savathûn enacted the next stage of her plan when the Last City was plunged into an [[Endless Night]] when Vex controlled by [[Quria, Blade Transform]] activated a powerful simulation that encompassed the city and drained its power. Conferring with Ikora, Savathûn claimed that even with all "his" knowledge of the Vex the situation was beyond his ability to halt. "Osiris" recommended that they try and contact [[Mithrax, Kell of Light|Mithrax]], the [[Eliksni]] [[Kell]] of the [[House of Light]], who was said to be a powerful [[Splicer]] who could commune with machines.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/5/11)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Splicer]] - [[Missions|Mission]]: [[The Lost Splicer]]''</ref>

===A Revelation in the Dreaming City===

{{Quote|"Who is Savathûn?" you ask. You already know, oh Guardian mine. I am your friend.|Savathûn to the Guardian}}

The Guardians were successful in lifting the [[Endless Night]] over the Last City after destroying Quria, an event which Savathûn had not anticipated. The loss of Quria rattled her control over the Taken and relieved the immediate threat to the Last City. However, the unrest caused by the House of Light's presence in the Last City came to a head when [[Lakshmi-2]] conspired with the other factions to expel the Eliksni. The War Cult's leader attempted to sway the Guardians to her point of view, but she was rebuffed, leading her to attempt using a Vex portal to force the Eliksni out of the Last City, apparently with the aid of Osiris. Unfortunately for Lakshmi, she was unable to control the Vex portal, leading the Vex to make a direct assault on the Last City. The ensuing conflict threatened to destroy the House of Light and led to Lakshmi's death. Fortunately, the Guardians managed to close the portal, save the Eliksni, and destroyed the Vex. Strangely, Osiris disappeared during the chaos, leading many in the Tower to suspect his involvement in the Vex attack.

===The Sky's Gift===

{{Quote|Wouldn't it be clever of you... if after everything, you simply let me die? Oh, what a trick... elegant... Is that it...?|Savathûn's last words to the [[Traveler]]}}

At some point during her time in captivity Savathûn experienced a vision of her own death and a final, unanswered question she asked the Traveler. Wounded during the ritual with a piece of her shattered crystal prison and realizing she would indeed die without her worm, she traveled to an outcrop high above the Last City. She spoke to the [[Traveler]] hanging on the evening sky, calling it an "old friend" and noting that she had chased it for a long time, first as an enemy, then a collector, and now a supplicant. Coughing, she admitted how clever it would be if after their millennia-spanning history it now simply let her die, and asked if this was truly the end. Her wound finally getting the better of her, she slumped to the ground and the light went out in her eyes - but not for long, as the Ghost [[Immaru]] arrived at the scene just shortly after and revived her with the [[Light]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR9YZdCh1Nw</ref>

The Vanguard would be left speechless and incredulous that the Traveler would raise one of humanity's most devious foes as a Lightbearer. Zavala himself was unable to fathom it, even as Eris Morn explained the Traveler's history of uplifting many civilizations and then abandoning them in the past. Ikora, however, stated that regardless of the Traveler's reasons, it didn't matter. What mattered was that they protect humanity and if the Witch Queen succeeds in her plan of taking the Traveler then they won't survive the return of the Witness. Believing that the Worm Familiar they had found in the [[Temple of the Cunning]] to be the key to defeating the Witch Queen, Ikora takes it to the [[Enclave]] on Mars, believing that the Relic would be able to reveal it's past. As hoped, Ikora looks into the Worm's past but discovers a shocking revelation: the whispers Sathona had heard about involving the end of Fundament and encouraging her to lead her siblings into the Deep had never been it's own but the Witness's. The Witness was aware that the Traveler would soon encounter the Krill and uplift them but wishing to claim them first, they had tricked Sathona into leading her sisters into meeting with the Worm Gods, leading to the birth of the Hive.

Ikora tasks the Guardian to take this memory to Savathûn, believing the truth would destabilize her and unravel her spell. Traveling to Savathûn's Throne World once more, they find, to their shock, that the Traveler was already in the Witch Queen's realm but with Ikora's support, they managed to breach past the Lucent Brood's defenses and ascend to the [[Court of Thorns]]. Unsurprised with the Guardian's return, the Witch Queen would continue to taunt them, even as they defeat some of her Lightbearing Hive and confront her at the [[Sanctum of the Brood Queen]]. Initially defeating her, the Guardian gets caught in a threadbound spell, allowing Savathûn the time needed to revive and flee to the center point of her spell. As the Guardian pursued, Savathûn asked their Ghost how he feels being the villain in the eyes of the Traveler, to which he responded in abject anger pointing out all the horrendous things the Hive had done to Ghosts and Humanity, leaving Savathûn silent. Confronting the Witch Queen once more, her power with the Light proved too great, forcing the Guardian to enter a portal to find a memory altar. Though they know the memory won't likely stop her, they felt they had to try. At the memory altar, the Guardian sees Savathûn's spell wrapping a web around the Traveler. After slaying some of the spell's [[Threadweavers]], the Guardian shows Savathûn the memory of The Witness's lie. At first surprised, then confused, at the memory, denying that the Traveler actually wished to find the Krill, Savathûn enters into complete and utter rage, loosing all composure and forethought, as the Guardian undoes her spell and reveals the rest of the memory, further enraging the Witch Queen.